JPMA 2018 Innovation Award Winners Announced

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) proudly announced the JPMA 2018 Innovation Awards Winner tonight, Thursday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C. during the JPMA Baby Show. JPMA awarded eight category awards and an overall highest score across all categories — the Best in Show award. Parents nationwide also voted on their must-have product for the JPMA Parent’s Pick Award.

“This year’s Innovation Award participants are a great indicator of the product trends we’re seeing emerge in the marketplace this year, and reflect what new Millennial parents are looking for in baby products,” said JPMA Executive Director Kelly Mariotti. “The first is convenience. We’re seeing an uptick in products that encourage babies’ independence, with new items that help babies self-soothe or self-feed. The next is products focused on making travel more convenient for parents, with portable products like a stroller that transitions into a roller-bag and some incredible innovation in carriers. And finally, of course technology is more integrated in baby products than ever with advanced monitoring tools, car seat sensors and a lot more. It was an especially exciting year.”

The CYBEX Sirona M with SensorSafe 2.0 is the only smartphone-synched convertible car seat in the market that integrates important safety technology into the chest clip of the car seat to alert when unsafe conditions arise. The alerts are provided through a vehicle receiver and the caregiver’s smartphone in a range of situations including when the driver has accidentally left the child behind, a child has unbuckled himself while the vehicle is in motion and when the vehicle becomes too hot or cold. Additionally, the SensorSafe app includes instruction manuals, demo videos and other useful information to ensure proper car seat use.

Parent’s Pick: Evenflo® EveryStage™ DLX All-in-One Car Seat

It’s not simply the 4-120 lbs weight range that draws attention to the EveryStage DLX All-in-One – it’s the way it installs and uniquely fits riders of all sizes. Parents feel anxiety when installing car seats – so much is riding on getting it right. Usual methods of climbing in the car, pushing, pulling… are now unnecessary with EasyClick™ Installation. Simply click the LATCH connectors and crank the handle back and forth for an amazingly easy installation and wiggle-free guarantee! Unique seating angles help minimize head flop and the headrest adjusts height and harness in one step, with one hand. EveryStage provides more rear-facing seating space– without extending into the vehicle, which can cramp other occupants. EveryStage is side impact and rollover tested, includes dishwasher-safe cup holders and machine-washable seat pad. Every detail– from safety and extended use to comfort, convenience and style delivers what parents want most in a car seat.

CATEGORY WINNERS

Nursery:The zenBaby™ Hybrid 2-in-1 with KulKote from Colgate Mattress Atlanta CorpThe zenBaby™ Hybrid 2-in-1 is a versatile, dual-firmness, infant-to-toddler transition crib mattress that combines the comfort and practicality of a traditional 2-in-1 with the radical revolutionary temperature regulating technology to keep baby comfortable, centered, and in a state of “ZEN” right through the night. A part of Colgate’s brand new zenBaby™ collection, the Hybrid 2-in-1’s infant side features an extra-firm eco foam made with plant-based oils and coated with a KulKote® layer for optimal temperature regulation and comfort. The toddler side features durable and supportive pocketed microcoils for added pressure relief, breathability, and posture support. Lastly, the zenBaby™ Hybrid 2-in-1 is wrapped in a soft, velvety, organic cotton knit cover. With its unique water-based coating design, the zenBaby™ Hybrid 2-in-1 offers the highest level of cooling comfort and temperature optimization to help baby sleep well. Ooooom!

Strollers:Traverze By Diono

It’s tough to be a family on the go, so we’ve combined a wonderfully light stroller with the maneuverability of a suitcase. With a telescopic ‘pull-along’ handle and a neat stow-away cover, we created Traverze; for every busy airport, train station, and bustling metropolis. Traverze meets the needs of families who see beyond reasons ‘not’ to travel, but relish the opportunity to take the family somewhere new. As the world continues to get smaller, and more accessible, products need to reflect that need to get from A to B. Traverze is styled in a range of dynamic fashions, with wonderfully inspired kinetic patterns, and premium metal finishes, which set new standards in the stroller category. With practicality built in, Traverze marries small and compact with no compromise; being suitable from birth, with an integral 5-point harness, full size canopy and weighing in at less than 12lb, it’s made to move…

Safety: Nanit Smart Baby Monitor

Nanit is the first smart baby monitor that combines research-based sleep science with the most advanced and secure camera ever introduced into the home. Nanit uses computer vision technology to measure a baby’s sleeping habits as well as their parent/caregiver’s visit patterns and then sends personalized sleep tips based on real observations made by Nanit’s smart algorithms. This feature helps parents spot immediate issues as well as trends – empowering them to reinforce healthy sleep habits along the way. Other key features include: a private social feed for parents/caregivers to communicate, a night light, fully integrated cable management system, humidity and temperature sensors, and the best view of your baby, bar-none.

ExerSaucer has a new look! The Gleeful Sea is a delightfully simple and sophisticated activity center that transitions to a cruising playtime table then art table, as child grows. Wood accents and sleek design complement contemporary home décor while babies are treated to a soft, quiet bounce and full 360-degree spin. There is an ocean of playtime in the toy-filled tray featuring 20+ activities. The simple turn-to-attach Spin-Loc™ Toys can be removed and used on a multitude of surfaces to keep playtime going wherever baby journeys. When learning to walk, a child can cruise around the table to play with the toys. The base replaces the seat ring to become an art and activity table, complete with built-in stencils, stamps and a convenient center caddy for art supplies, toys or snacks. With up to 4 years of use, your child will find new ways to play and get creative!

On The Go: 4Moms Breeze Plus

Playards are hard to use. The tricky sequence of steps is a pain point for many parents. We believed that playards would be better if they were more intuitive and simple to use, which is why we developed the breeze. It opens or closes in just one step. This year, we’ve introduced the new breeze® plus playard, which provides parents with both an easy one-push open, one-pull close set up, as well as an all-in-one care station, including a removable bassinet and changing station. Its sleek, modern design looks stylish in any room, and parents can use the bassinet up to 18 lbs., and the playard up to 30 lbs. or 35 inches. It also comes with a convenient travel bag. 4moms continues to innovate in the playard category to address real consumer pain points, giving parents more options to meet their needs.

Infant/Parent Care:Curve washable nursing pad by Cache Coeur

Cache Coeur, leader in Europe on the maternity and breastfeeding lingerie market, has continuously been innovating since 2008 and is proud to present you Curve, the ultimate washable nursing pad – all made in France. Two years of research were necessary to create this patented innovation, with the help of mothers and medical professionals. Curve nursing pads concentrate the best of technology and French savoir-faire. They were designed with ultra-performant fabrics, super absorbent, leakproof, antibacterial and anti-odor. For total invisibility and discretion, this was designed to create unique ergonomics to provide a natural breast shape. Smart, Curve nursing pads are totally adaptable, meaning they can be rotated and therefore used in any type of bra. According to our eco-responsible commitment, Curve nursing pads are made with OEKO-TEX certified fabrics in order to respect mother’s skin. Washable, they are durable and sustainable. With Curve, reuse and save!

Child Restraints: Evenflo® EveryStage™ DLX All-in-One Car Seat

It’s not simply the 4-120 lbs weight range that draws attention to the EveryStage DLX All-in-One – it’s the way it installs and uniquely fits riders of all sizes. Parents feel anxiety when installing car seats– so much is riding on getting it right. Usual methods of climbing in the car, pushing, pulling… are now unnecessary with EasyClick™ Installation. Simply click the LATCH connectors and crank the handle back and forth for an amazingly easy installation and wiggle-free guarantee! Unique seating angles help minimize head flop and the headrest adjusts height and harness in one step, with one hand. EveryStage provides more rear-facing seating space– without extending into the vehicle, which can cramp other occupants. EveryStage is side impact and rollover tested, includes dishwasher-safe cup holders and machine-washable seat pad. Every detail– from safety and extended use to comfort, convenience and style delivers what parents want most in a car seat.

Feeding/Bathing/Changing: Evolu One.80°

Nothing tougher than moving a high chair with a baby in it. Besides it can cause dangerous situations. Therefore Childhome introduces the new Evolu high chair One.80° It is our Evolu 2 chair with a new swivel function. The swivel seats allows parents to place or feed their child in the seat in 3 different positions without moving or lifting the entire chair. Easily pull the latch to click the chair in the next position towards the table, 90° clockwise or 90° counterclockwise relative to the table. This innovation is making feeding easier when the chair is next to you: you just turn the seat towards you, no need to lift the entire chair.

The Innovation Awards Competition started in 1989 as the Most Innovative Product Contest and has evolved through the years to become a highly recognized competition. It was officially renamed the “Show Off” Product Competition in 1992, however in 2003, JPMA decided the contest should be called the “Innovation Awards” to more accurately represent the focus on innovation.

Parents and caregivers can see all of these products at the DC Baby Show on Saturday, March 24th! There’s still time to register by using this link.

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